The wait lasted eactly 208 days, but through it all Alex Joseph's resolve never wavered. He had endured too much to just toss aside a dream.

Besides, Joseph loved playing football too much.

"It is something I have been doing since I was young," said Joseph, the former Stamford High School star. "I'm not the type to give up. Until my body can't do it anymore I am not going to give up."

Joseph, 24, was speaking from Canada, where he is currently a linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. Joseph signed with the team on April 10, just over seven months after he was released by the San Francisco 49ers the week before the start of the NFL regular season.

During the interim Joseph trained and worked at BlueStreak Sports Training. He remained in shape for the call he was confident would eventually come.

"It was very tough," Joseph said. "I looked for work. BlueStreak came around and helped me out. They are a big part of my success. They gave me a job. But the process of waiting was very tough. I just wanted to get back out on the field. I had to keep working hard."

Joseph has played in two of the Tiger-Cats' six games thus far. He is in the process of recovering from an injured left hamstring sustained in the team's last game, two weeks ago.

The transition to Canadian football, with a larger field and three instead of four plays to get a first down, remains a work in process.

"There's definitely a lot more running," Joseph said. "A lot more conditioning. I've lost about 12 pounds. I'm at about 230, and I haven't been at this weight since my sophomore year of college. I feel a lot faster. I've also had to do a lot more preparation. There's a lot of room for error. I've been hanging out with the veterans and they've been teaching me the ropes. I get better every day."

Joseph had an outstanding career for the Black Knights, graduating in 2006 and earning a scholarship at Temple, where he finished with 253 tackles in 47 games.

Joseph soon became familiar with the fringe life of the NFL. He got into one game with the 49ers in 2010, and bounced around in the camps or practice squads of the Packers, Raiders and Panthers. There were many tryouts -- and almost as many disappointments

Joseph worked out this past winter with former Stamford teammates Vlad Ducasse, who is now with the Jets, and Desmond Hinds. Having friends around helped ease the uncertainty.

"We really pushed each other hard," Joseph said.

Playing in Canada has meant a lot of changes for Joseph, both on and off the field.

"It took a few weeks to get used to things," he said. "But I love the game so much. It's just in me. I got myself back into playing shape and getting used to film study."

The fundamentals of his position, Joseph said, have become even more vital.

"You have more field to cover," he said. "It's more of a passing league so it's much faster. You have to make sure you make plays in the open field, so tackling one on one is really important."

Despite coming from Fairfield County, Joseph said there was another unexpected difference.

"It is very pricey here," he said. "Coming from the states, there's a big difference about how much things cost up here. But so far overall it has been a great experience. I'm really enjoying it."

Joseph said he feels like he has positioned himself to get more playing time and make a greater impact. He is waiting for his injury to heal.

While some questioned why Joseph would continue to pursue a professional career, he said retiring has never been a consideration. He has been through too much. The possible reward far outweighs the risk.

"I have a degree to fall back on," he said. "If this is where I end up playing the rest of my career, that's fine. I just want to play. I would much rather be on the field than sitting at home."